Just a Hop to the Left  an Elf Verse Story
by MoonFireFic
Summary: Ianto and The Holiday Assurance Elves have a new mission: train the Cottontail Corps & ensure that Easter goes off without a hitch. When a long lost friend of The Easter Bunny plots his revenge, can they save the children of the U.K. & Easter in time?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Just a Hop to the Left  
><strong>Author:<strong> moonfirefic  
><strong>Beta:<strong> milady_dragon  
><strong>Rating: <strong>PG-13  
><strong>Characters: <strong>Team Icicle: Ianto, Owen, Andy, Tosh, and The Doctor (10th); Donna, Jack, Alice, Peter Cottontail, others.  
><strong>Special Guests:<strong> Santa Claus, King Bran of the Leprechauns, and Mother Nature  
><strong>Summary: <strong>After their adventures on Christmas (_The Star of Seren Glen_) and St. Patrick's Day (_Tripping the Rainbow_), Team Icicle, the Holiday Assurance Elves, have a new mission: train and prepare Peter Cottontail's new Cottontail Corps, and ensure that Easter goes off without a hitch. Meanwhile, a long lost friend of Peter's plots from his perch on Crooked Crow Peak, determined to destroy the holiday forever.

**A/N:** There are names of fictional rabbits and bunnies used throughout this story. I wrote this for Easter, but didn't have a chance to post until now.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

* * *

><p><em>April Valley – Bavarian Alps<em>

_Cottontail Corps Training Grounds _

Team Icicle had been on the ground for a month and the Cottontail Corps were shaping up nicely. The bunnies' natural ability to work together had helped them learn many of the tactics that had served the elves so well over the centuries with ease. With one week to go, Ianto was putting the troops through their paces before he started on the final portion of their training: aerial deployment.

"Ears up and alert Hodge-Podge!" he scolded the lieutenant as he started the stealth test a second time and the stunt Doberman knocked him off the course. "Gently Dandelion," he advised as he passed the firing range and saw her latest round of practice eggs crack open and slime the target. "We're delivering eggs not omelets! Go for a toss not a throw!"

"How are they doing Toddy?" Owen asked as he left stealth and surveillance to check in with his leader.

"They're sloppy and trigger happy," Ianto replied, watching as another bunny fired Tosh's modified egg launcher and the eggs splattered across the intended target on impact. As he came closer to his teammate he dropped his voice so that only he could hear. "And they remind me a lot of a team of elves I know that played outside the rules and still managed to get the job done," he added with a grin.

Owen smiled and shook his head before turning to watch as Tosh set up another group and reset the targets on the firing range. He'd been watching Peter Cottontail, The Chief Easter Bunny himself cater to her all month, giving her the largest guest room at Warren Manor, making sure that she always had fresh jelly beans at her bedside each morning, and even providing her with her own personal bunny assistant named Luna that seemed to hang on her every word. He'd been trying to spend time with her all week and get up the nerve to ask her to the Easter Parade, but each time he managed to get a moment alone, Luna would interrupt, flipping back her ears and tapping her PDA to remind Tosh of some meeting or event that she couldn't miss. It was starting to drive him mad, and he was certain that Cottontail was behind it.

"Any word from Nog and Fruitcake?" Ianto asked. Owen glanced behind him to where Andy and Doc were working with the first group of bunnies trying out aerial deployment, showing them how to jump from the open barn silo and float down via the parachutes housed inside their pointed elf hats. While Andy landed dead center on the target and encouraged the bunnies from the ground; Doc positioned them at the jump point, checking the fit of each aviator cap, parachute, and pair of goggles, before giving them a few last pointers on wind velocity and air currents before they took the plunge.

Doc noticed the others watching and tapped his comm. "We're ready for the first trial run," he announced. "Brittle, you might want to get the medics on standby. I've got a lot of twitchy whiskers up here."

Owen cursed and jogged over to the make-shift medical tent alongside the far end of the course. While the training course had taken over the far side of the valley floor on what had once been an open meadow, it was still surrounded by craggy peaks and the silver branches of the Gum Drop Forest. One wrong move by one of the bunnies about to parachute out of the silo, and they could end up stuck inside the branches of the forest, or worse yet, sail right over the side of the valley into the thick clouds below, taking days to make their way back up the trail to the hidden door that lead back home.

"Alright Fruity, my boys are in place. Let 'er rip!" Owen called out over the comm. as he made his way to the side of the course with a small contingent of medics in tow.

Doc waved down and flashing his trademark grin, checked the parachute, aviator cap, and goggles of the first bunny in line, looked down at Andy who gave him a thumbs up and pushed him out the door, certain that he would make it no problem, and that the basket of stunt eggs he held in his shaking hands would make it in one piece.

He was wrong.

When yet another bunny missed the drop target and sailed overhead into the Gum Drop Forest, Ianto called out for a halt, and told Doc to bring the rest of the bunnies down until they could analyze what was going on.

As he jogged past the firing range and down the field to where Owen was busy pulling brambles and stickers out of the fur of the poor bunny who had landed in the briar patch, he decided they had suffered enough for one day.

"Snowdrop, have you had a chance to analyze any of the data from the flights so far?" Ianto asked as he made his way over to where Doc was helping a traumatized bunny pry his fingers off of his basket so that he could remove his parachute.

"That would be a no," Tosh replied, cringing as one of the egg launchers backfired and coated the current group on the course in rainbow colored egg yolk. Flinging the mess off her arm, she ordered the bunnies to hit the showers and made her way over to join the others.

"Let's call it a day," Ianto ordered with a sigh. "Dismiss your troops and meet me at manor in one hour." He saw Doc salute and help the last of the bunnies out of his gear, only mildly surprised when the bunny scampered off on four legs instead of two, wanting to get away from the aerial course as quickly as possible.

"I'm due for a shower myself," Tosh said shaking her head as she joined them.

Owen glanced up as he finished bandaging the last of the injuries for the day and sent his team back to the medical tent to check on any stragglers. "That makes two of us," he said, flicking his own share of broken yolk off his arm and onto the ground. Tosh stared back at him wide-eyed and Owen realized what he had said. "Er- what I mean is," he hastened to explain. "We're both dirty and need to take a shower and…garlands! Those launchers really do release a lot of egg don't they?" he rambled.

Tosh blushed and Owen mentally smacked himself for looking like an idiot in front of Tosh _again_.

"Part of the job I suppose," she answered with a half-grin as she reached over to pluck a piece of eggshell out of Owen's hair.

Owen stared back at her and was about to compliment her on how the blue of the eggshell on her cheek offset her eyes when Luna interrupted them.

"Miss Sato, if you'll follow me I have a bath prepared in your suite so that you have time to wash and change before the afternoon meeting," she said, smiling sweetly as she tapped away on her PDA.

Owen bit back a scowl as Tosh nodded and turned to follow her back to Warren Manor. "I'll see you lot back at the boardroom," she said over her shoulder, her gaze lingering on Owen for a moment before she left.

Owen watched her go. So intent was he on watching her, he didn't realize Andy had come up alongside him until the elf let out a low whistle of sympathy.

"Wow," Andy said as Owen turned towards him. "Have you got it bad."

Owen frowned and scooped up a pile of yolk and threw it at the other elf, missing and hitting Doc instead who had been talking to Ianto beside the equipment shed behind them.

Some of the younger bunnies who were tending the tulip fields nearby giggled as the four elves launched into a yolk fight that left the four of them covered in muck and laughing all the way back to the manor.

* * *

><p><em>Warren Manor<em>

_Office of the Chief Easter Bunny, Peter J. Cottontail Esq._

Peter glanced at the clock and noticed that it was nearly time for the team's daily check in. Swiveling to glance outside, he spied Toshiko Sato leaving the training grounds and sighed. When he had been a young bunny, little more than a kit, his father had received a calendar from Santa Claus as part of their monthly update about the comings and goings at the North Pole. The calendar had been a promotional piece, showcasing the various departments within Santa's workshop, and one image in particular had caught his eye; that of Miss Gift Wrap 1859, Toshiko Sato.

She'd been wearing nothing risqué, just a plain red dress with white fur trim and green and white striped stockings; standard elf attire. But what had made the picture stand out was the bright red bow that had been perched in her hair with the loops resembling a rather fetching pair of bunny ears.

He'd hidden the picture inside his treasure box, and spent many a night gazing into her almond shaped eyes, wondering if she was just as beautiful in person as she appeared in her photo. His cousin Benjamin had teased him mercilessly when he found it, and during the ensuing scuffle, it had been ripped in two. Peter had pretended not to care, and tossed the pieces in the garbage; but he had snuck down later that night and retrieved the two crumpled halves, slipping them inside his copy of War and Peace, knowing that Benjamin would never be able to sit still long enough to read it, and it was safe from harm.

Reaching inside his desk drawer, he pulled out the picture frame that housed the same picture, now lovingly taped back together and glanced at it before making his way to the balcony to where the lady herself was within view. She saw him standing there and smiled up at him, giving him a small wave that he quickly returned before she disappeared inside.

Peter felt his heart race. He had been in love with Toshiko Sato for so long, having her so close, yet so far away from him was maddening. He glanced over to the bouquet of daffodils that he had picked that morning and checked his reflection in the mirror beside his office door, making sure that his tie was straight, his jacket and waistcoat uncreased, and his collar clean of the chocolate egg he had just nibbled. Checking his pocket watch, he saw that he had about thirty minutes before the daily debriefing in the manor boardroom. A noise from outside caught his attention and he glanced out to where the remaining members of Team Icicle were returning, somewhat worse for wear. He caught Dr. Harper's eye and the two men held each other's gaze. Luna had told him of Dr. Harper's shoddy attempts to get Miss Sato's attention, and his heart soared with every tidbit about how she seemed immune to his charms. Knowing that he had to time his courtship just right; he hesitated and left the bouquet in the vase.

"Tomorrow," he whispered to himself. "Tomorrow I will ask her on that date I have wanted for so long. I only hope that she finds me worthy of her affection."

Checking his appearance one last time, he gathered up his notes and made his way to the boardroom with a spring in his step, determined that tomorrow would be that day that Miss Sato would agree to a date at last.

* * *

><p><em>Smith's Telegraph and Radio Diagnostic Inspection Shoppe<em>

_Seren Glen- Wales_

"More tea, King Bran?" Alice Harkness asked the leprechaun as she held up the teapot.

"Thank you kindly, Miss Alice," he replied, holding out his cup. "And it's just Bran lassie. If you please."

Alice grinned back at him. "So you never told me," she asked as she carefully poured tea into the fey sized tea cup. "What made the great Leprechaun King decide to pay me a visit?"

Bran smiled at the little girl and looked around. After Doc had left, she had cleaned out much of the second story and repainted it, filling it with a variety of doll-sized furniture, just the right size for any fey that might stop by for a visit. He had been surprised at the number of wards on the building, and surmised that Doc had left her well protected when he gave the little girl the deed to his former abode.

"Word reached me of a girl and her father who were friendly with the fey folk," he explained as he sipped his tea. "You must know that in this century our friends have become few and far between," he added watching as she nodded. "So naturally I had to come and meet you for myself."

Alice smiled at him and raised her teacup, taking a dainty sip. "And this would have nothing to do with the fact that I still have my four-leaf clover would it?" she asked, biting back a grin.

Bran blinked. Did the girl know the power that the clover possessed?

"I may not be fey," she continued no longer able to contain her mirth. "But I do know a bit about magic."

Bran chuckled. "Aye lassie, it would appear you do."

Alice laughed and pulled a locket from inside her shirt. "I've been keeping it safe," she explained. "I didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands."

Bran nodded and watched as she opened the locket to where the clover was pressed inside alongside a picture of her mother.

"And the wish my dear?" he prompted bracing himself. He knew what she had whispered on the wind as she picked it, and had seen its magic at work since, but needed her to repeat it once more for the wish to be fixed.

"For my father to find true love again, and for us to have a family," she said, the words hanging in the air like a promise.

Bran felt the ancient magic swell within him and he held out his hand.

Alice took the clover from the locket and placed it in his palm, watching transfixed as a swirl of golden light danced across his open palm, turning the clover from green to gold.

"As the first wish was made on the whisper of a winter wind, so will the fulfillment be," said Bran, magic weaving his words into truth. "Before the sun sets on Christmas Day, your wish will be fulfilled."

Bran closed his hand and the light disappeared. Opening it once more, the clover remained, only now it was a golden pendant, hanging from a fine gold chain. He held it out to the girl, watching as she reached for it and then pulled her hand back, not sure if it was hers to take.

"Go on girl," he said with a grin. "It's not every day that someone gets their wish granted. You should at least have something to cling to while the magic runs its course."

Alice lifted the chain and settled it around her neck alongside the locket. Clutching both of them in her hand she looked up at the Leprechaun King with tears in her eyes.

"You really mean it?" she asked, "It will really come true?"

Bran reached over and pat her other hand in reassurance. "We leprechauns might have our share of fun with humans now and then," he admitted. "But when it comes to wishes and magic, we never lie."

Alice nodded and Bran smiled. "Now if you would be so kind, do you happen to have any more of those biscuits?

* * *

><p><em>Warren Manor Boardroom<em>

After the less than spectacular exercise that afternoon, Team Icicle was trying to find a new approach to aerial deployment.

"We only have a week left," Owen groused. "How in the name of all that's jolly are we ever going to teach these bunnies how to jump safely by then?"

Doc, Andy, and Tosh each chimed in with their ideas and complaints about their performance, not noticing that Peter Cottontail himself had joined them until Owen started cracking jokes about the troops' whiskers being too tight.

"Mr. Cottontail," Ianto interrupted him, giving Owen a disapproving look. "So nice of you to join us."

Peter's whiskers twitched in annoyance as he sat down to join the team.

"I take it you overheard some of the evaluations of today's exercise?" Ianto began, trying to break the Corps' lack of aerial skills to their leader gently.

"I did," Peter replied with a scowl, "and I think there is one fundamental thing that you elves are forgetting."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "By all means," he said gesturing for him to continue. "Enlighten us."

Peter looked over the assembled group of elves and flicked the tuft of fur betwixt his ears back as his started to speak. "The Easter Bunnies of April Valley have been delivering eggs for just as long as you elves have been helping Santa deliver gifts on Christmas," he said with pride. "The only difference is that we have always done it with cunning and skill, while you lot rely on fancy gadgets and gear to get you through."

Owen scowled and Tosh looked offended. Doc on the other hand looked thoughtful.

"Are you saying we're going about this all wrong?" he asked, tapping his finger against his chin as he thought through what the Chief Easter Bunny was saying.

"I am indeed," replied Peter. "Bunnies on a whole are a pack species, unlike elves; we perform best when we work as a group." The elves exchanged glances, and Peter pressed on. "Take your aerialists for example; have you tried sending them down to the target in pairs?" He pulled out a sketch he had done of two bunnies, the one on the back with the parachute, while the one in the front held onto the basket for deployment. "One can check the wind currents while the other keeps an eye on the target. Have them go in tandem and I guarantee you they will hit the target every time."

Andy and Doc exchanged a look. "They did seem rather preoccupied with the wind over the target," Doc conceded. "Do you really think this will work?"

Peter smiled. "If there is one thing I know it's how to manage a group of my own kind," he said with a grin. "Bunnies are competitive by nature and grouping them together for a common goal is the best way to get them to succeed."

Ianto smiled back at him, realizing that this might be the change in approach they needed. Looking over the rest of his ideas, he decided that as busy as Peter was, he could no longer be a spectator. If the Cottontail Corps were to be ready on time, they would need his insight to get the job done.

"Do you have a second in command?" he asked. "Someone who could possibly take over the daily operations while you help us put your plans into action?"

Peter looked thoughtful. "Well, Harvey is pretty capable," he mused. "As long as I can check in with him on the daily quotas and Miffy keeps the egg decorating on schedule, I should be able to manage it."

"Well then," Ianto said standing up to shake his hand, "I think the Cottontail Corps just might be ready in time after all."

Peter rose to shake the elf leader's hand and the two of them resumed their seats to join the team in planning out the next rounding of training.

* * *

><p><em>Cottontail Corps Training Grounds – The Following Morning<em>

"Keep your ears up and your baskets at the ready!" Owen hollered as he made a final equipment check and sent the next team of bunnies down. "Incoming," he said over to comm. to Andy, who was watching from just outside the target to ensure that they landed safely.

"Buster!" Doc called out from his vantage point in a hot air balloon above into the bright blue comm. now worn by the Cottontail Corps. "I'm seeing a slight deviation in the northwest current, pull up on the control lines, or you'll miss the target."

"Copy that," answered the bunny as he made the adjustment and landed on the target with ease.

The entire training group let out a whoop of celebration as Buster and his teammate Lucky gave each other a high five and held their unharmed basket aloft in victory.

"Well done!" Peter said as he shook their hands. Picking up a megaphone and with a nod from Ianto he started to speak. "This is a big step towards reaching our goal of becoming the best delivery team Easter has ever seen," he began. "Team Icicle and I have revised the training to be more group orientated, and you will be working alongside your burrow mates to form cohesive teams, able to handle any problem that might arise." He glanced over to the side of the grounds where Toshiko gave him a thumbs up, and at his nod she lit up a pink, green, and blue reader board that showed a list of burrows. "Each team will be rated according to their performance over the next week. The top performing team will be honored at the Easter parade, receive a year's supply of chocolate, and an all expense paid trip to Bermuda for a little relaxation after the big day."

As the bunnies celebrated, Andy switched comms. and contacted his teammates. "So Brittle, care to pick a team and finish that wager?" he asked as Doc glanced down at him with a grin.

"Oh it's so on Nog," Owen responded. "My laundry is crying out for you as we speak. Fruity? Toddy? You in?"

"I'm staying out of this one boys," Ianto replied shaking his head.

"That's ditto for me as well," Doc answered. "I need to inspire these teams and stay impartial."

"What the holly berries are you on about?" Tosh asked, having been absent for the St. Patrick's Day wager. Owen started to stutter out an explanation, but was interrupted when Peter, who had been given access to their comms. with the call sign of Heff (by his own choice) during the exercise was heard on the line.

"I'm sure it's just a bit of healthy competition," Peter replied sagely. "But if you have a minute Snowdrop, I have a most urgent matter which I would like to discuss with you."

As Peter made his way over to join Tosh at the reader board, his and Tosh's comms. fell silent. Owen watched through narrowed eyes as Peter drew a bouquet from beneath his coat and presented it to Tosh who laughed and smelled the blooms with a happy grin.

A gravelly noise could be heard over the remaining comms. and after a moment Ianto realized what it was. "Brittle, stop grinding your teeth," Ianto called out rolling his eyes. "Snowdrop is perfectly capable of handling herself."

"I think he's more worried about what "Heff" will handle," Andy observed as he came to stand alongside Ianto, watching Owen emerge from the silo and stride across the green towards where Tosh and Peter were speaking.

As the bunnies geared up for the next drop, Ianto kept an eye on where Tosh was speaking to the elf and the bunny, both of whom eventually turned to face one another and glared before shaking hands and going their separate ways. Tosh caught his eye and shook her head before turning back to make a few final tweaks to the reader board.

Owen made his way back over to Andy and Ianto, who raised an eyebrow as he approached.

"Not a word," Owen said as he picked up a water bottle and gulped it down. When Ianto and Andy continued to stare at him, Owen finally relented, and double checked to make sure his comm. was off before he spoke.

"Chief Hoppy-Twat asked Tosh to be his date to the Easter Parade," Owen explained. "As I had already asked her this morning and she was still contemplating her answer, we decided to make a wager of it."

Andy and Ianto exchanged a glance knowing this would not end well. Owen was a gambling man by nature and had a hard time turning even a losing bet down.

"Do I even want to know?" Ianto finally asked.

Owen sighed. "Apparently in bunny-ville, disputes are only handled one way; by a decorating contest."

Andy blinked and bit his lip, trying his best not to laugh. Ianto did the same and Owen glared at them both.

"Hardy-Hoppy-Friggen-Har," Owen replied sitting down on the bench beside them dejectedly. "We each have until Easter morning to make an artistic presentation using only Easter candy to show her what we like about her and why she should choose us as her date."

Ianto chuckled to himself and Andy started laughing hard enough to tear up.

"Artistic? You?" he asked wiping the tears from his eyes. "You failed toy design, and can't paint to save your life, why did you even agree to it?"

Owen sighed, and Ianto patted him on the shoulder, already knowing the answer.

"Pride got the better of you didn't it Brittle?" he asked gently. Owen nodded glumly.

"Forget the competition Andy," he said dropping his head in his hands. "I'm going to need to dedicate what little spare time I have to making this perfect. I need Tosh to understand why…" he trailed off and sighed again.

"Before I was in Prep & Landing, I did a short stint in cookie and candy décor," Andy replied taking pity on him. "Maybe I could give you a few pointers?"

Owen looked up at him hopefully. "Really?" Andy nodded. "Thanks mate," Owen said with a smile.

"If you ladies are about done," interrupted Doc over the comm. "We still have bunnies to train. Just because they seem to have finally gotten the hang of landing on target, doesn't mean they won't misfire the egg launchers and splatter the countryside."

Owen and Andy scrambled to their feet and gave Ianto a quick salute before heading over to set up the firing range for the next exercise.

"Oh and Owen," Ianto called after him. "Word of advice, don't compare her backside to a pair of hot-crossed buns; that will just get you slapped." Owen turned red, remembering how he was ogling said backside when they had gone out for a morning run and singing 'Hot Tosh Buns' in his head, he'd been whistling it ever since. Scowling back at Ianto's smug smirk, he clicked his comm. back on and let Tosh know they were starting on the egg launchers again in thirty.

* * *

><p><em>Crooked Crow Peak<em>

In a crumbling tower, on a lonely mountain, on the outskirts of April Valley, a bitter bunny without a tail watched the proceedings through his telescope, plotting his revenge.

"Soon Peter Cottontail, soon," Barnaby March, the Mad March Hare, cackled to himself as he turned from the window to watch the latest batch of his magically altered chocolate eggs leave the assembly line. "I'll make sure you and all the world's children pay!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

><p><em>April Valley – Two Days until Easter<em>

The week leading up to Easter went by in a blur of troop exercises, late night egg decorating, strategy meetings, and equipment checks. With two days to go, Ianto decided to give everyone Good Friday off so that everyone could get some much needed rest. Peter had taken it one step further and set up a banquet that night on the village green; all of bunny-ville was slated to attend and the winning burrow from the training competition was due to be announced.

Ianto had donned a suit this evening for the first time in over a month, and it felt good to be wearing something other than his standard black fatigues for a change. The bell tower in the village below chimed half past five, and he realized that he and Owen would need to hurry if they were going to make it on time.

"Ready Owen?" Ianto called, coming out of the bathroom.

But Owen wasn't ready at all. Still wearing his black fatigues, he was sitting at the writing desk in the room, staring dejectedly at the half finished diorama he had begun for the competition for Tosh's hand and fiddling with a stray bit of taffy that he had been trying to shape into a computer terminal. He hadn't had time to work on it much during the week, and had resolved to finish it today before the flurry of activity surrounding the Easter delivery schedule took hold. But judging by the drooping blobs of sugar before him, he hadn't made much progress.

"You go ahead," Owen said distractedly. "I'm going to finish this, even if it takes me all night to do it."

"Are you sure?" Ianto asked, not wanting to leave him alone when there was still obviously so much to do.

"You go on Toddy," Owen replied, squaring his shoulders and picking up a brick of chocolate that he planned on carving into an easel since Tosh loved to paint. "I have to do the work on my own or I forfeit. Bring me back a piece of pie?" Ianto hesitated and Owen turned and gave him a smile. "Go on then, can't have our fearless leader miss the party yeah?" he said, nodding to the door.

"I'll have my comm. on if you need me," Ianto replied, slipping it into his ear.

Owen nodded and turned back to his work. Ianto waited a moment longer and shook his head before leaving him to his work.

"There, all done!" Peter exclaimed stepping back to admire his work. He had always been a fair hand with a paintbrush and had learned how to carve chocolate alongside Wellington Bunny himself so it was no surprise that the sculpture looked so real and life-like; a perfect replica of Toshiko from the portrait he held so dear.

A knock sounded on the door and Peter grinned at the chance to show someone his handiwork.

"Enter," he called out, wiping the last bit of paint from his hands.

Luna Thistledown, the pretty female bunny he had assigned to Tosh as her PA for the week, entered and stopped in her tracks when she saw the sculpture he had created.

"Isn't it marvelous?" Peter asked, seeing her looking at it.

"It's definitely a work of art," she replied, before shifting her gaze back down to her PDA. "I'm sure she'll like it," she added softly as she scrolled through the data on her screen.

"Like it?" Peter scoffed. "She'll love it! I've showcased just how beautiful she is using the best chocolate in April Valley, and spared no expense on using the finest edible paints to make sure that none of the colors run." He reached out and buffed a non-existent smudge off the present his sculpture was holding in her hands. "While I don't think she will actually eat it, I am certain she will see the nature of my affection and choose me to escort her to the parade," he added his voice wistful.

So lost was he in the images of Tosh on his arm at the parade, he never noticed how Luna had looked up from her PDA and stared back at him, blinking back tears.

"Well enough wool-gathering!" Peter exclaimed, tossing the brushes into a bowl of water. Luna took the much needed moment to compose herself. "What have you heard about Harper? I bet he hasn't even started on his offering yet," he said with a smug grin.

"As of this afternoon he wasn't finished," Lund replied glumly. She had been secretly hoping that the sarcastic elf would surprise them all with his hidden talent and Miss Sato would choose him instead.

"Don't look so down Lu," Peter scolded his childhood friend. "If he doesn't finish then I win by default." He grinned widely and Luna fought the urge to dump the bowl of murky paint-filled water over his head. "I really don't want to win by forfeit though," he frowned. "Can you check up on him and make sure he knows that he has use of the factory if need be? I'd rather he did his best work, than make do with what's on hand."

Luna nodded and made her way to the door, swearing to herself that she would see Easter through and then it was time for a long vacation away from Peter, and his crush on Toshiko Sato.

"Oh and Luna," Peter called out as she reached the door. "Make sure you save me a dance later on. It wouldn't be Good Friday if we didn't share at least one."

Luna looked up at his easy smile and felt her heart break a little as he turned back to the sculpture in dismissal and began to sing to himself.

She let herself out and leaned against the door, listening as Peter started singing the chorus.

"In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade…" he sang through the door.

Luna wiped away a stray tear and set off in search of Doctor Harper. There was only one way to solve this and make Peter see reason; Harper had to win the competition no matter what.

* * *

><p><em>Jelly Bean Lane – Near the Village Green<em>

In the shadows of the trees lining Jelly Bean Lane, a cloaked Barnaby March slunk past the bunnies and elves celebrating on the village green and made his way towards the deserted Easter factory that housed the baskets of goodies ready for the next night's deliveries. A rustle in the nearby bushes caused Barnaby to freeze. Pushing himself flat against the trunk of a nearby tree, he pulled a stray branch in front of his face hoping to stay hidden.

"Hello gorgeous!" he heard someone exclaim and as he watched, one of the elves that had been training the bunnies flipped down from a chocolate bush, holding a chocolate kiss as big as his head in both hands. The elf grinned and kissed his prize, sprinting off towards Warren Manor, muttering something about brittle snowdrops as he ran.

Once he was gone, Barnaby crept his way up to the back of the factory and snuck his way inside. Making his way down the shadowed corridors, he found the holding crates filled with ammunition for the chocolate egg launchers. Looking through the locations, he found the one designated for the United Kingdom and grinned. Setting down the sack he had slung on his back, he quickly lifted the trap door that released the eggs down into a waiting wagon and pushed them off to the side of the room. With an evil grin, he shut the trapdoor and refilled the crate with the contents of his sack; watching with satisfaction as the eggs he had worked on for so long settled into place as if nothing had happened. Chuckling to himself, he folded up the sack and snuck back out the door, making his way back home to wait and watch his plan unfold.

* * *

><p><em>Warren Manor<em>

"Owen?" Andy called as he hoisted the gigantic chocolate kiss on his hip and knocked on the door. "Open up! I've found it!"

When Owen didn't answer, Andy pushed the door open and stumbled into the room. Tripping over the various jelly beans, peeps, biscuits, and other assorted treats littering the floor, be managed to land on the bed, leaving the kiss unharmed. Catching his breath he turned to where Owen sat, making the final touches on his miniature version of Tosh's Elfsburg lab.

"Nog?" Owen asked, swiveling in his chair to take in the lopsided cap and the leaves in Andy's hair. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping," Andy said, straightening his cap and holding up his prize. "I know you said you had to do it all yourself, but I had an idea." Placing the kiss down on the bed, he gave Owen a grin. "But first we need one more person to make this work." As he spoke a soft knock sounded on the door and Luna, the PA who had been working with Tosh entered the room.

Andy hopped up and skidded across the floor landing on his bum in front of the pretty bunny who quirked a bow clad ear in surprise as he landed.

"It looks like you two started without me," she said, taking in the candy strewn state of the room.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Owen asked Andy, not the least bit happy to see Peter's flunky spying on him.

"_Luna_ is here to help," Andy explained as she pulled him to his feet.

Owen barked out a laugh. "That has to be the Brindle Berry Ale talking," he snarked. "She's been sabotaging me for weeks now. Peter must have sent her to make sure that I don't finish, and he gets Tosh all to himself."

"Now listen here you pointy-eared wanker!" Luna replied, not liking his tone at all.

Owen smirked. "Pot-kettle mate," he said pointing to her own ears.

Luna twitched her whiskers at him in agitation. "I came here to help you. You, you, tulip sniffer!" she yelled at him.

"Tulip sniffer? Seriously?" Andy asked with a grin. Luna turned to see him smiling back at her and rolled her eyes.

"Look," she said with a sigh. "You want to convince Tosh that you're serious about her right?" she asked. Owen nodded warily. "I'm here to make sure you come up with something so egg-ceptional that she has to turn him down and choose you instead."

"And why would you want to help me?" Owen asked.

Luna muttered something and looked down at her feet.

"What was that?" Owen asked, intrigued.

Luna's head shot up. "Because I've been in love with Peter pretty much since we learned to hop, and don't want to lose him," she replied in a rush, tugging on her ear nervously.

"Does he know?" Owen asked her gently.

Luna shook her head. "We've been friends since we were kits. I think he sees me as little more than another burrow mate," she said with a sigh. "Look, do you want my help or not?"

Andy and Owen exchanged a glance, and Andy inclined his head toward where Luna stood waiting.

"If you're offering, I'd love your help," Owen conceded standing up to shake her hand.

Luna grinned and took it in her own. "Right, first things first, let's clean up this mess and get some supplies from the factory, we have to be at the strategy meeting first thing tomorrow, so we best get hopping!"

* * *

><p><em>Easter Eve – Evening<em>

Colonel Wiggly Cluckington had arrived from Rooster Vale that morning with his Air Corps, and their planes had been loaded up with all of the baskets and goodies to be delivered before morning. Donna "Gingersnap" Noble had arrived the night before, and had officially brought the Easter Command Center online, complete with a new tracking and sonar system courtesy of Santa himself. Everyone in April Valley was busy with last minute preparations, ensuring that each basket, egg, and toy was up to standard and ready to go. The Cottontail Corps were sporting their new pale blue uniforms, and every last one of them seemed antsy to put their skills to use. As the bell tower struck nine, everyone gathered on the village green as Peter launched into a speech to wish them well before they left.

"Today we start a new era in Easter Bunny history," he said, looking proudly at all of his friends and family gathered around him. "From this day on we will be faster and more efficient, reaching more children than ever before!" A cheer rang out over the crowd and his gaze drifted down to where Tosh was watching him along with her team. "Tomorrow, at the parade, we will celebrate the holiday together, remembering that without each other, none of this would be possible." The crowd cheered again and the Cottontail Corps boarded their planes, ready to start their run.

"Ready team?" Ianto asked, raising an eyebrow as Owen let out a massive yawn.

"Just give me plenty of coffee and it will all turn out fine," he replied with a tired grin.

Ianto smiled back at him. He'd gone to Doc's room to grab Andy's bed for a little shuteye last night and left Luna, and Andy deep in conversation over how to properly carve chocolate while Owen struggled to follow their commands. This morning he had found the three of them curled up on a bed strewn with candy, sound asleep with Owen's version of Tosh inspired artwork carefully displayed on the desk alongside them. He knew that Owen had given it his all; he only hoped that Tosh would appreciate his efforts.

"Alright, here are your assignments for deployment oversight: Snowdrop, Asia and Australia; Nog: Africa; Fruitcake: North America; Brittle: South America, you should be able to get a little coffee when you fly over Colombia or Peru," he added with a wink. "I'll take Europe and Antarctica."

The other elves nodded and hurried to their transports. "Best of luck team!" Ianto called out over the comm. as he entered his own plane and the door shut behind him. Switching over to the command center he called Donna. "Ginge how are we looking?" he asked as he strapped into the co-pilot's seat.

"All systems holly jolly, Toddy," she replied. "You lot are good to go – SAT NAV online in 3, 2, …" The satellite navigation systems onboard the plane came online and his pilot gave him a thumbs up before shifting the plane in gear. As he taxied around the green, he heard the other pilots chatter as they did their final system checks. The engines fired up and the planes took off; the lights of April Valley twinkling in the distance as they climbed into the night sky.

* * *

><p><em>Seren Glen – Wales<em>

_That same evening_

"Goodnight," called out Jack as he and Alice left Rhys and Gwen's. The mayor and his fiancée had invited several friends to a pre-Easter feast, and though the evening had been enjoyable, it was far past Alice's bedtime.

"But I don't want to go to bed," the little girl yawned as he carried her down Blackberry Lane towards Harkness Outfitters to pick up Myfanwy before heading home. "The Easter Bunny will be hiding his eggs and I want to see where the chocolate ones are so that you don't take them all before I get up."

"I promise I'll save some for you," Jack chuckled, kissing her forehead. He glanced up at the sky and noticed that a soft bank of clouds had drawn over the otherwise clear evening. The sound of planes could be heard in the distance and squinting up he noticed that parachutes were floating down from each plane, dropping lazily to the Earth below. Not sure what was going on, he stepped into the alley beside Doc's old tinker shop, and watched one of them make their descent. As the two figures landed in the village square, he saw one gather up the chute, while the other hopped about pulling items from what looked like a basket and spread them about the lawn.

"Easter bunnies," Jack whispered to himself, realizing he should probably be more surprised. Alice perked up and slipped from his arms to have a look.

"They're real!" she exclaimed as they watched them pull out what looked like a rocket launcher and spread eggs across the green.

"You hang out with faeries and elves young lady," Jack scolded her. "Why should magic bunnies be any different?"

Alice smacked him in the arm. "You're one to talk Dad," she replied with a huff. "I read your card. You've been _kissing _elves, so you shouldn't be surprised either."

Jack paled and looked her. "Are you, are you mad about that?" he stammered out, worried about what Alice would think.

"Nah! I like him. Even if he is an elf," she replied with a shrug. "Besides, he makes wicked good coffee, you should try some."

Jack frowned. "Alice Harkness, you are entirely too young to be drinking coffee," he scolded.

Alice gave him the trademark Harkness grin. "And Jack Harkness, you are entirely too old to be stealing chocolate eggs," she replied.

The two of them scowled at each other a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles and sharing a hug. They turned back to watch the bunnies work, and then watched in wonder as a silver ladder unfurled and they rode it back up into the night sky and out of sight. The clouds dispersed soon after and the moon shone down on the egg and basket covered lawn below.

"Come on," whispered Jack, inching around the corner to make sure they had gone. "I want just one chocolate egg before we head in for the night."

"Da-ad!" Alice scolded. "You're not supposed to have any until morning."

Jack grinned and bounded over to scoop up a palm-sized chocolate egg and held it up to the street light. "It's only one," he answered. "What harm could it do?"

Alice shivered at his words, watching as a wood sprite sitting on a nearby street post flew down and sniffed one of the other chocolate eggs before wrinkling her nose and sneezing at the odor and falling to the ground in pain. Alice gasped. She had seen the signs before when Doc warned her not to touch the toadstools in Seren Wood; only dark magic affected fey in such a manner.

Glancing to her father, she saw him lift the egg to his mouth to take a bite.

"Dad! Don't!" she called out. But it was too late. A poof of black smoke and a high pitched squeak later, Jack was gone and a small brown bunny, just like those they had been watching a moment before stood in his place.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

><p><em>The Happy Clucker - Somewhere over Wales<em>

"Gingersnap to Hot Toddy, Come in Hot Toddy."

Ianto exchanged a wary glance with Lt. Egghead "Junior" Leghorn, pilot of _The Happy Clucker_ as Donna's voice came over the comm.. Donna rarely contacted them in the field unless there was trouble and judging by the curt tone, she was not pleased.

"Go ahead Gingersnap," he answered hoping for the best.

"I have a code eighty-six," she replied. "Someone under the codename Starlight called it in." Ianto's mind reeled as he processed what she was saying. Starlight was the codename Doc had left in his note for Alice in case she ever got into trouble. But eighty-six, that was the code for magical disturbance; they only used it when something had been done to upset the natural order of things. Doc must have taught her their codes and left her a comm. as well. Chuckling to himself at Doc's ingenuity and wondering why Alice had decided to use it, he asked her to put the call through.

"Toddy?" a tear-filled voice came over the comm. that Ianto instantly recognized as Jack's daughter Alice, and felt his heart clench in fear.

"Are you alright?" he asked as hundreds of bad scenarios flew through his head.

"Uh-hunh," she sniffed. "But it's not me, it's the chocolate eggs. Something's wrong with them."

Ianto's brow furrowed. Peter and his workers inspected all of the loads this morning; they had even been run through the magic detector and all came out 'hippy-hoppy', which he assumed meant good.

"Tell me what's happening sweetheart," Ianto soothed listening closely as Alice explained what happened. As she talked Ianto signaled to Lt. Leghorn to let the next round of troops know that they would have a delayed pick up as they were heading back to Seren Glen. "Gather up all of the tainted eggs you can, and keep your Tad out of sight," he advised Alice once she finished. "I'm heading your way now, and will meet you at the tinker shop as soon as I can."

Alice thanked him and he assured her he would be there soon before switching his comm. back over to Donna. "Ginge conference in the others, we have a situation on our hands."

* * *

><p><em>Crooked Crow Peak<em>

Barnaby was toasting his success as he watched the village below. Only the lights in the command center and the factory were still on and everything was going to plan. He saw the first of the Air Corps planes return and smiled to himself when the bunnies inside disembarked and headed off to the command center amidst a flurry of high fives and pats on the back. As the night drew on and more planes returned, he started to dance a little jig as the bunnies still seemed oblivious to what he had done.

Settling back down in his overstuffed chair, he flipped on the telly to check the BBC for any news. A commercial for Cadbury Eggs flickered across the screen and he smiled, knowing that by tomorrow, humans would no longer find making fun of a bunny quite so funny.

"Tomorrow all the children in the United Kingdom will find out what it is to be one of us," he smiled, stroking Frank his pet frog and sipping his scotch. "And that blasted Peter Cottontail will finally suffer a betrayal as harsh as my own."

As Barnaby celebrated his victory, he thought back to that long ago Easter Eve, when his best friend Peter had abandoned him, the first of his many betrayals of his one best friend.

They had been on their first solo mission, given an entire town of their own for delivery. He'd been nervous, but Peter, cocky as always, had rolled his eyes and charged on ahead, leaving Barnaby behind as thunder rolled overhead and rain began to fall. Lost and alone, Barnaby took shelter inside a greenhouse, rubbing his lucky medal inside his pocket as he desperately tried to recognize landmarks from the briefing through the sheets of rain. The pounding rain on the glass above him was so loud, that he didn't hear the small boy in a yellow raincoat, boots and blue airplane print pyjamas until he shined a torch in his direction.

"Hello," the boy greeted him in a muddled accent that sounded American, with a burr of Scots on the edges. "I'm Jackie, what's your name?"

"Barnaby," he had answered, frantically searching for a way past him. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

The little boy scoffed. "I'm nearly nine," he said proudly. "I can take care of myself. Are you lost?"

Not sure what to tell him, Barnaby had merely nodded.

"I got a new bike for my birthday last month," Jackie offered. "Can I take you somewhere?"

Barnaby tilted his head and studied him for a moment before deciding it was probably his best option. The two of them splashed though the puddles littering the muddy yard, making their way to the front of the house. Jackie set him inside the basket hanging from the handle bars of his shiny black bike, and the two of them took off down the bumpy lane towards the meadow at the outskirts of town.

Everything had gone just fine until they passed the pub and caught the eye of Greg Skinner and his gang of teenage thugs.

"Are you sure this is the right spot?" Jackie asked once they reached the gnarled stump at the far end of the meadow. Before Barnaby could answer, the trio of boys who had followed them caught up and pushed the boy back against the stump, squishing Barnaby against it as he cowered behind his legs.

"Whatcha doing out here all alone, Jackie?" Greg demanded, poking him in the chest.

"None of your business Greg," Jackie replied, pushing his hand away.

Greg laughed. "Little Jackie thinks he's old enough to boss me around," he said with a sneer causing the members of his gang to snicker.

"I don't want any trouble," Jackie had pleaded with them, trying to keep the tremor of fear out of his voice.

But Greg didn't listen. Instead he punched Jackie in the stomach, and threw him away from the stump, gesturing to the other two boys to keep any eye on him while he sauntered over to where Jackie's bike rested alongside it. As he did, he spied Barnaby.

"Lookie here fellas," he'd called out grabbing the terrified bunny by the ears and holding him aloft. "Jackie-boy got himself a friend."

The other boys snickered and Jackie struggled to his feet. "Leave him alone," he demanded, clutching his stomach as he spoke.

Greg swung the bunny by his ears. "Whatcha gonna do about it runt?" he asked with a sneer.

Jackie's face scrunched up in anger, and before the other boys could stop him, he charged forward, slamming Greg into the stump behind him, causing him to throw Barnaby high into the air. The two boys fought in a flurry of punches, scratches, and biting that resulted in Jackie sporting a bloody nose, and Greg a gash across his forehead.

"Stop or the bunny gets it!" one of Greg's cohorts shouted bringing the scuffle to a stop.

Jackie stared in horror as one boy held Barnaby out at arm's length, while the other lined up a branch like a bat, ready to swing it at the bunny.

"Please," he begged, wiping his nose. "He's just lost. Please don't hurt him."

Greg nodded his head towards his friends and held Jackie back while they took a swing at the struggling bunny. Barnaby twisted away from them trying to get free and screamed as the branch hit him squarely on the tail, shattering the fragile bones inside. The boys laughed and lined up to hit him again, but were stopped when a contingent of bunnies, fifty strong, suddenly emerged from the darkness.

"Drop the bunny now!" ordered the leader of the group with a growl.

"That bunny just spoke!" Greg exclaimed. "They're some kind of demon bunnies, let's get out of here!" Both Barnaby and Jackie were thrown to the ground as they started running away. A series of golden eggs sailed through the air after them and once they reached their targets, the trio fell to the ground in a burst of gold dust.

"What did you do to them?"Jackie asked as a bunny helped him to his feet.

"Sleeping dust," he explained as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his face. "Causes humans to fall asleep on contact and scrambles your memories a bit so you forget you ever saw us."

Jackie nodded, and then looked over to where several other bunnies were attempting to help Barnaby. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked, worried about his friend.

"We're not sure lad," the bunny tending to him replied with a sigh. "His tail's been shattered. Not much you can do for that."

"Can I talk to him?" Jackie asked unsure.

The bunny gave him a soft smile. "Go on lad, but make it quick, we need to get you and him home before dawn."

Jackie walked over and crouched down beside where Barnaby was lying on his side having his tail bandaged. "I'm sorry I wasn't big enough to stop them," he whispered blinking back tears.

Barnaby winced as they secured the last bandage and helped him up. "Thanks for trying," he replied in defeat.

"Time to go lad," the leader told him. Jackie nodded and stood up. A small plane had landed nearby and the bunnies lifted Barnaby up on a stretcher, ushering the injured bunny and Jackie inside.

Once they were aloft, they sleep dusted the young boy, making sure he forgot all about his adventure.

The following morning, little Jackie Harkness awoke to find the biggest Easter basket he had ever seen on his bedside table. Weeks later when he finally finished off the last of the treats, he found a tiny silver medal hidden amongst the grass bearing the words Delivery Agent – First Class, and a symbol that looked like a bunny saluting in the center. Deciding that it must be magic or good luck, he strung it onto an old shoelace, and wore it around his neck every day, until he decided he was too big to believe in magic any longer.

Barnaby was rushed back to April Valley but despite the doctor's best efforts, his broken tail had to be removed. Without a tail to balance him, he no longer hopped in a straight line, and always tilted slightly to the left. Peter Cottontail had apologized for leaving him, but once he was given the Chief Easter Bunny position, had signed the discharge papers removing Barnaby from delivery and giving him a desk job, forcing him to stand by and watch with envy as the other bunnies went on grand adventures across the globe spreading good cheer to ungrateful children like Greg Skinner.

The shame of losing his tail made it hard for him to trust others, and the bitterness inside Barnaby grew until his heart grew cold as ice. Peter was the only one who still talked to him, and even he only came to see his former best friend out of guilt, scampering away with a lame excuse soon after he arrived. When the day came that Barnaby overheard Peter snickering with his pals about Barnaby, The 'Mad March Hare', he left April Valley behind for good. The solitude of the crumbling tower on Crooked Crow Peak and the ancient texts of dark magic he found deep within the dungeon below galvanized his hatred of everything Easter until he came up with the perfect plan; change all the children in the world into bunnies themselves so that they knew what it felt like to be small and vulnerable. He would start with the United Kingdom, and then change each and every country one by one until there were no children left for Peter Cottontail and his blasted bunnies to deliver eggs to ever again.

Taking another sip of his scotch, he smiled as the first report came in about animal control receiving bizarre calls about child-sized rabbits running through a neighborhood in Croydon.

* * *

><p><em>Seren Glen<em>

Ianto floated down to the roof of the tinker shop and made his way to the back door. Tapping softly at the latch, he saw Alice crack the door open and look both ways before glancing down and ushering him inside and upstairs.

"He's in here," Alice explained as they made their way into the sitting room. Ianto followed her in and even though he was prepared for it, his eyes went wide in shock when he saw Jack.

"You're furry," he blurted out, looking the fluffy brown bunny before him up and down. Judging by the amused expression and twinkling blue eyes, not to mention the pale blue shirt, dark blue waist coat, and inconceivably smaller version of the RAF coat that he was wearing, it was most definitely him.

"And you're tall," Jack deadpanned.

Ianto grinned, remembering that at just over two feet, he was tall for an elf, but definitely a head taller than most bunnies. Ianto strode forward and gave Jack a fierce hug and as they pulled back, Jack brushed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss.

"Can you fix me?" Jack asked, hoping the elf had a solution. Ianto stepped away and began to pace.

"You're sure it was the chocolate eggs?" he asked, wanting to clarify the situation.

Alice nodded. "Daddy took a bite, and there this cloud of black smoke and poof! He turned into a bunny." Ianto frowned. Black smoke meant dark magic, and without knowing the spell it would be hard to reverse.

"Did anyone else eat any of the eggs?" he asked suddenly worried that they would have a bunny epidemic on their hands.

"Alice and I collected all that we could find," answered Jack. "They're in a box downstairs."

"Well then," Ianto replied with a sigh. "Best take me to them. I need to see what we're dealing with before we do anything else."

Alice nodded and the three of them went back downstairs. As they approached the box, Ianto paled and staggered back against the wall.

Jack watched him in concern. "Are you alright?"

"It's pretty potent dark magic," Ianto whispered, sneezing as he inched back towards the stairs away from the box of eggs.

"The wood spite sneezed too," Alice observed. "It's like Doc told me; fey are allergic to dark magic, makes them sneeze and gives their tummy pins and needles."

Ianto gave Alice a smile that looked more like a grimace. "That's exactly right Alice," he managed to say once he got far enough away from the box to catch his breath. "Let's head back upstairs. I need to call this in and alert the others. This is a lot worse than I thought."

* * *

><p><em>Easter Command Center – April Valley<em>

"Dark magic? Are you sure?" Donna asked as Ianto reported in. Putting her comm. on mute, she told one of the bunnies working the terminals to check the news channels in the U.K..

"Look for any reports of talking rabbits, oversized bunnies, or animal control," she told him before resuming the call. "Alright Toddy, the rest of Team Icicle is on their way back in from the initial run. I am sending Leghorn and Ricochet back out with them and a team of bunnies to roundup the rest of the tainted eggs." She paused and looked at the bunnies around her listening in. "Yes, I'm making sure that they wear protective gear. I have encountered dark magic before." She paused and glanced around as she lowered her voice. "We want to keep this as quiet for now. If they got to the eggs after the mandatory screening this morning, this had to have been an inside job. I'll let Peter know and have him start an investigation on site."

Stepping over to the coffee machine for another round of java, she whispered one last message. "If we can't figure out how to reverse this, and find the culprit, it will upset the balance of nature itself. Easter bunnies are magical creatures, and just like fey, aren't meant to blend with the human world." Donna waited for Ianto to reply, and smiled to herself as he reluctantly agreed. "Go ahead and round up anyone that has been changed so far," she added. "Even bring that Captain of yours seeing as it was his daughter who let us know what was going on." Donna heard her long time friend stammer out a reply and grinned wider. "I know it's against regulations for humans to come here, but apparently _she _already caught wind of Alice helping us out, and heard something from King Bran about her making a lovely cup of tea. She wants to meet her at the celebration tomorrow."

Ianto's startled reply was so loud that Donna winced and held the comm. away from her ear. "You heard me," she hissed. "Mother Nature herself has asked to meet both Alice and your Captain. Best get a move on pretty-boy. You don't want to keep her waiting." Smirking to herself, she switched her comm. back off and made her way back to the central desk.

"Alright bunnies – time to get cracking and finish off the deployment," she glanced around the room and saw them staring back at her with wide eyes.

"Excuse me ma'am," asked Skippy, the bunny assigned to ground coordination. "Did you just say that Mother Nature herself is attending the Easter Celebration tomorrow?"

Donna nodded. "You're a smart one Skip," she said with a smirk. "Now that we all know she's coming, let's get those planes landed and refueled, finish the deployment and get Team Icicle back in the air."

The bunnies exchanged grins and turned back to their terminals. Taking a deep breath, Donna clicked her comm. over to a private channel.

"Hi Heff," she said, making sure that she had the Chief Easter Bunny's attention. "I've got a preverbal snow-storm of a situation coming our way; can you meet me down here in ten?" Once Peter had agreed, she clicked her comm. back over to the main channel and swept her gaze over the room, watching as the bunnies deftly handled the situation like pros. Nodding in satisfaction she downed the rest of her coffee and started writing down notes to bring Peter up to speed on all that had happened.

* * *

><p><em>Davies Farm pasture <em>

_Seren Glen – Wales_

_04:00_

"So we just wait until they pick us up?" Jack asked, watching as Alice shivered inside her blanket. After much debate over whether or not a six-foot bunny could drive a car, and telling Jack that he was _not_ going to allow him to try out his sugarplums to prove he could, Ianto decided to make himself human size so he could drive the three of them out to the far side of the Davies Farm pasture to await the arrival of _The Happy Clucker_, and the rest of Team Icicle.

Ianto had been following along over the comm. as they and the other team of bunnies working onboard Ricochet's plane had rounded up the rest of the chocolate eggs and secured the few wayward children and adults that had managed to sneak a nibble before they were supposed to.

The sound of engines could be heard overhead, and Ianto smiled as he watched Leghorn do a loop-de-loop, before landing nearby. Once the plane settled, the hatch opened and Team Icicle spilled out.

"Oi! Tall-boy!" Owen called out as he made his way over to where a still human size Ianto was holding Alice against him to keep her warm. Owen noticed how pale he looked and cringed as he saw the box of magically altered eggs to his left.

"Hey Nog!" he called over his shoulder to where he and Doc were approaching in haz-magic suits. "Secure this will ya? It should be the last of the lot."

Nog saluted, and helped Doc carry it over to the back of the plane.

Owen watched as Ianto's color returned. When he saw the elf sigh in relief once the box was far enough away, he gave him a satisfied nod. "You're looking better. The eggs are going into a containment carrier in the cargo hold, so they shouldn't bother you on the way back." He looked up at where Alice was shivering and frowned. "Go ahead and switch back and get her on board," he said giving the little girl a gruff smile. "Snowdrop's got a thermos of hot cocoa with your name on it." Ianto quickly nibbled a sugarplum and shook the sparkles from his hair as he resumed his elf stature. Taking Alice by the hand, the two of them hurried over to the plane leaving Owen to take a look at Jack.

"Not a good look for you mate," Owen said shaking his head. "Though I guess if you wanted a new job, I'm sure the Cottontail Corps are hiring." Jack rolled his eyes and let the medic check him over. Owen flashed a light in his eyes and checked his ears, teeth, whiskers, and tail. At length he stepped back and gave him one last look up and down. "Yep, you're a bunny alright," he said with a barely contained grin.

"Great," Jack replied. "Can we go now?" he asked, marching past him towards the plane.

"Wait!" Owen called out running to catch up. "I have to tell you something before you get on so that you don't freak out later."

Jack stilled and turned to face him.

"They've been working on the reversal spell and so far nothing's worked," he said quietly, not wanting his voice to carry. "I haven't told Ianto yet, as I didn't want Alice to overhear. "

"You mean I could be stuck like this?" Jack asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm not sure mate," Owen replied with a sigh. "But I do know that Mother Nature asked to meet you and Alice in person tomorrow and if there's anyone who can set things right, it's her."

Jack looked down at his fur covered hands and back up at Owen. "Are you sure she'll be willing to help?" he asked, frightened of what it would mean if he was stuck as a bunny forever. How could he take care of Alice? He'd never be able to hold her properly again, Myfawny would probably try to eat him, he'd be experimented on by some crazy government agency, he wouldn't be able to kiss Ianto properly or, anything else for that matter, and worst of all his bloody tail _itched._

"Cheer up mate," Owen said, throwing his arm around the now shorter Jack's shoulder. "By bunny standards, you're quite handsome."

Jack rolled his eyes, and Owen grinned. "Come on then, let's get inside before Toddy throws a fit."

The two of them boarded the plane and Andy sealed the door.

"Hold I say, hold I say, hold on," called out Lt. Leghorn, and the plane lifted up into the pre-day sky. "Next stop April Valley," he announced to his passengers.

Alice snuggled up against Tosh, and the elf ran her fingers through the little girl's hair as she drifted off to sleep. Glancing up she saw Owen watching her with a wistful expression on his face, before quickly turning back to the game of poker he was playing with Andy and Doc. Tosh smiled to herself, wondering why after so long, Owen had finally decided to make his move and ask her on a date. She glanced over again and this time Doc caught her eye, looked at Owen and winked at her, making Tosh blush.

Shifting her gaze to the rest of her team, she saw an exhausted Ianto leaning against Jack's shoulder, while the newly bunnified Jack wrapped his arm around him and watched the clouds pass by the window. Tosh had no idea how he was handling everything so well, and she truly hoped that they could change him back. Watching him slide Ianto's head down to rest in his lap, he glanced up and they shared a friendly smile. Seeing that her friends were alright for the moment, Tosh closed her eyes and drifted off.

As for Jack, his gaze swept over the plane and back to the cockpit where a rooster of all things was at the controls. Turning his gaze back out the window, he pondered the possibility of being a bunny anew, and felt a strange sense of déjà vu.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

><p><em>April Valley – Easter Morning <em>

_The Happy Clucker_ landed at the far end of the field near the medical tent, and Team Icicle quickly disembarked to let the group of bunnies in charge of egg containment get to work. Doc spied Dasher and a couple of other reindeer grazing beside Santa's sleigh and he and Andy went over to greet them. Leaving Jack in Owen's capable hands, Tosh took Alice back to Warren Manor so that the little girl could get some rest before the festivities that afternoon. With his team sorted, Ianto followed Peter back to the command center where Donna was guiding the last plane in for a landing with Santa watching close by.

"Ianto!" Santa greeted him with a smile. "Good to see you my boy. I arrived this morning to check on how the delivery went. I hear your friends in Seren Glen are responsible for raising the alarm before this got out of hand."

"You heard correctly sir," he replied with a nervous grin. "I realize it's against protocol to involve humans, but with Mother Nature herself inviting them, I assumed it would be alright." He looked up at Santa, hoping he had assumed correctly, and saw that he had what Mrs. Claus called his 'jolly joker' expression on his face.

"Now Ianto, you know I would never stand in the way of Mother Nature, or of anyone my people consider to be a _special_ friend," Santa replied with a grin.

Ianto felt his ears go pink. "Oh Right, of-of course sir," he managed to reply.

Santa laughed. "Don't worry son. I have it on very good authority that your Captain Jack and his daughter are both worthy of being friends with fey and bunny-kind alike."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "And who's authority would that be sir?" he asked, wondering what he had been told.

Santa smiled at him over the rim of his mug of cocoa. "I had a little chat with King Bran the other day when he came over to fit the sleigh with an extra feature his boys whipped up." Ianto's eyes went wide as he remembered his conversation with Bran over a mug of ale on St. Patrick's Day. Judging by Santa's bemused expression, whatever Bran had said must not have surprised him too much. "He'll be here for the celebration this afternoon by the way," Santa added. "Seems he had tea with Alice and found her absolutely charming." Ianto's mouth fell open in surprise. King Bran had visited Alice? He searched his mind for any reason for the crafty leprechaun to do so, and found none. Santa was watching him in amusement, and Ianto found himself wondering if the two old jokers had been setting him and Jack up all along. But what if Jack was stuck in bunny form? Ianto frowned, knowing that any real relationship between them would be over before it began if Jack couldn't be turned back to normal.

"I'm sure we'll have the Captain fixed up in no time," said Santa, reaching down to pat Ianto on the shoulder. "But first things first; let's take a look at these blasted eggs and see if we can figure out who tampered with them." Handing his mug to Jessica, the tea-bunny, he nodded to Peter who showed the two of the out the door to where the eggs were being held.

* * *

><p><em>Crooked Crow Peak<em>

"No, no, no, no!" Barnaby wailed as he saw his carefully crafted eggs unloaded from the planes below. "They should never have suspected. Now everything is ruined!"

Pacing back in forth in front of the window, he tried to come up with some way to salvage his plans. Finally it hit him; a bratty child may have smashed his tail, but it had been Peter who had left him behind that night, and Peter who had stuck him in a desk job, forcing him to watch as the other bunnies went on adventures and left him behind. It was also Peter who had made fun of him, betraying their friendship for a laugh. It was time for Peter to pay for all he had done.

Gathering up the book of spells, Barnaby stood at the window and called forth the biggest, nastiest windstorm ever seen. Thirty years of anger, rage, and resentment churned and boiled in the clouds above until a crack of thunder rolled across April Valley, and Barnaby grinned with satisfaction as the happy bunnies below looked up in horror and the storm clouds broke.

* * *

><p><em>April Valley<em>

As the hailstones started falling and thunder cracked overhead, bunnies, roosters, and elves alike scrambled for shelter. Donna, still in the command center sounded the alarm and started broadcasting the storm alert over the loudspeakers mounted on the command center roof.

"Code blue!" called out the alert. "All bunnies report to the nearest burrow. Code blue!"

Peter, Santa, and Ianto ran back in from the factory with Jack, Doc, Owen, and Andy hot on their heels. "Gingersnap, report," Santa ordered.

"We've got a class twelve windstorm warning coming in from the southwest," Donna explained as she and her team frantically tried to track the storm. "It came out of nowhere," she added in frustration. "Bluebell, do you have a fix on its trajectory yet?"

Bluebell's hands flew over the keys and a chart came up on screen. A large mass of angry black and grey clouds could be seen making its way down the mountains. "It seems to be emanating from the vicinity of Crooked Crow Peak," Bluebell explained as she showed the progress of the storm. The windows started to rattle, and the wind outside picked up as the storm began its decent. Peter continued to watch the monitors, and something caught his eye.

"Wait, bring the image of the source back up," he directed, watching as Crooked Crow Peak was shown once more. "Enhance it a bit," he added, and Bluebell complied. As the image grew cleared, a crumbling tower could be seen directly below the storm. "Can you focus on the window?" Peter asked, hoping that he was wrong. Bluebell moved the image and brought the window into focus. As the pixels settled, the image of a grey bunny could clearly be seen.

"Barnaby March," he breathed looking at the image of his long lost friend with his hands raised, seemingly drawing down the storm.

"You know him?" Ianto asked as the building rocked and a gust of wind smashed through a side window.

"We used to be friends," Peter shouted out over the noise. "But that was a long time ago." Two of the bunnies covered the open window with a piece of plywood and the noise died down again.

"We've got lightning strikes alongside gumdrop forest and a tornado cloud forming overhead," Bluebell advised, updating the trajectory screen.

"Do we have anything that can stop it?" Donna asked, looking over at Peter, who shook his head. "We're not equipped for this type of thing. April Valley is normally sheltered from the weather just like Elfsburg." He looked around at his friends and back up at the screen. "There's nothing we can do."

"Toddy come in," Tosh called over the comm. In the chaos Ianto had completely forgotten that she had taken Alice back to Warren Manor.

"Are you both alright?" Ianto asked in concern, motioning for Donna to put her on speaker. "As well as can be expected," Tosh replied, as the sounds of wood creaking and something crashing could be heard in the background. "Luna and I are taking Alice down to the burrow that makes up the manor basement. Most of the windows have been smashed and there are branches coming down all over the place." Ianto watched as Jack's ears drooped in fear for his daughter and their friends.

"Keep her safe Tosh," Jack called out. "Tell Alice I love her and we'll be there as soon as we can."

"I will," she replied. "Tell Owen that-"Another crash was heard and her comm. went offline.

"I'm going after them," Jack announced, heading for the door. Owen frantically tried to bring Tosh's comm. back online while Doc and Andy ran to stop Jack. "Get out of my way!" Jack yelled at the elves, and tried to push past.

"Tosh will take care of her," Ianto soothed, trying to calm Jack down. But he wouldn't listen. Planting his legs hard on the ground, he pushed off on bunny strong feet and the door flew open with a bang. Wind rushed in, lifting several of the bunnies out of their seats and Santa grabbed Owen and Owen grabbed Donna by the leg to keep her from flying out a nearby window. Doc and Andy let out a yell and flew across the room slamming into him, knocking the lot of them into a heap in the corner.

Jack fought his way against the wind and staggered towards Warren Manor, dodging flying branches, a barrage of jelly beans, and Easter eggs as he desperately tried to reach his daughter. Suddenly the wind grew stronger, and he felt himself flying through the air towards the briar patch. As he was about to hit, something caught him by the foot, and he glanced back to see Ianto clinging to a nearby fencepost, and struggling to hold onto him so he wouldn't land in the brambles.

Thunder rolled across the sky once more, and Jack watched in horror as a bolt of lightning rent a jagged scar through the sky and struck Warren Manor, cleaving the trunk in two.

"Alice!" he cried out as the tree burst into flame. Jack felt his foot start to slip and his eyes met Ianto's in fear as he knew he could not hold him much longer.

"Well that's about enough of that!" a voice rang out over the storm.

Suddenly the wind stopped, and the world fell silent.

Jack fell down with a thud and sat up rubbing his head where he was developing a nice lump from his abrupt landing. Glancing over to Warren Manor, he saw that the flames had gone out, and the building, though broken, seemed at least for the moment to be stable.

"Oh that looks a bit nasty," he heard someone say. Looking up he saw a lovely woman with chocolate brown hair and laughing blue-green eyes peering down at him. A wreath of flowers graced her hair, and the soft spring blooms inside it perfectly complemented her elegant flutter-sleeved dress. "Up you come," she said, holding out her hand and pulling him to his feet.

Jack looked around and saw Ianto lying near the fencepost. He rushed over to his side, and rolled him over, relieved to find him breathing and merely unconscious.

"Must have been knocked out, poor boy," the woman observed, crouching down beside him. She snapped her fingers and a dog with silver fur, about Jack's height stood beside her, sporting a pair of red-rimmed glasses and a multi-colored scarf around his neck. "Ah Mister Smith," she greeted the newcomer who wiggled his ears in response. "Can you please escort Mister Jones over to medical and see to it that Doctor Harper knows of his condition?"

"Right away Mistress," the dog replied with a bow. Scooping Ianto up, he turned to Jack and winked before trotting away towards the medical tent, one of the few structures that had somehow survived the storm.

"Now then," she said with a grin. "Let's go find the others." Turning away from him, she began walking towards Warren Manor. Not sure what else to do, Jack scampered along beside her to where the others had gathered once the storm had broken. Santa saw their approach and broke away from the group to meet them.

"Sarah Jane, lovely to see you again," he greeted, raising her hand to his lips.

"And you Kris," she replied with a smile. "Sorry I didn't arrive sooner, but spring is my busy season as you know."

Santa laughed. "But of course. I see you've met young Jack," he added nodding to where Jack stood beside her anxiously watching for any sign of Alice or Tosh amongst the bunnies coming out of the manor.

"_This_ is Jack Harkness?" she asked in confusion. "But he's a bunny; that can't be right."

"It's a recent development," Jack explained, dragging his eyes away from the crowd to return her gaze. "Apparently ingesting chocolate eggs laced with dark magic will cause you to sprout ears and a fluffy tail if you aren't careful."

"I would assume so," she answered taking in his appearance. "Do we know the culprit yet?"

"The Mad-, I mean Barnaby March," Peter answered as he joined them. "We saw him calling the storm down via the satellite images."

Sarah Jane shook her head. "Was a time where we did everything with magic and mirrors," she said to Santa with a sigh. "Still the rules are still the same. Weather and nature are both my domain, and I won't have any dabblers messing with the order of things."

She snapped her fingers and a bolt of lightning landed nearby causing the bunnies to jump in fright. When the dust cleared, a solitary grey bunny stood where it had struck.

"It's the Mad March Hare!" one of the bunnies cried out and a murmur went through the crowd as Barnaby glared back at them.

"That's right, you silly balls of fluff!" he snarled back at them. "Cower in fear! I called down a storm once and I can do it again!" He opened the book he had clutched in his hands and began to chant.

"That's quite enough," Sarah Jane scolded him. "There'll be no more playing about with magic for you Barnaby March."

Barnaby sneered and raised a hand in her direction. "And just who do you think you are to stop me?"

Sarah Jane crossed her arms and held her chin high. "Mister Smith," she called out, and the strange silver dog returned to her side bowing towards Barnaby.

"May I present my mistress, Mother Nature," he said watching for Barnaby's reaction.

The grey bunny froze in fear and slowly dropped his hand. "Truly?" he asked.

Mother Nature nodded. "I would have thought the flowers would have been a dead giveaway," she replied with a shrug. "Now about this book of yours," she added with a frown. "Can't have you messing about with the balance of things, so I'm afraid I'll have to confiscate it," she motioned to Mister Smith, who plucked the volume from Barnaby's fingers and brought it to her.

"But what about my revenge?" he shouted back at her.

"Oh yes," she replied looking at Peter. "I think that can be remedied with a bit of help from your friends."

Barnaby watched as Peter came forward to address his former best friend. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind, and for not helping you when you lost your tail," he said realizing that most of this had been his fault. "I should have stuck up for you, and instead I made you lose your way."

Barnaby stared back at him through hurt-hardened eyes. He wanted to desperately to believe that someone still cared about him, but Peter had betrayed him before. "You've always put yourself first, why should I believe you now?" he asked.

"Because it isn't just him that's sorry," said Jack moving through the crowd to stand alongside Peter. "There's also a little boy who was too weak to fight off the bullies that hurt you in the first place, and forgot all you did for him until now."

Jack reached inside his shirt and lifted a silver chain over his head. Dangling from it was the silver medallion that Barnaby had left for him all those years ago. As soon as he had seen him again, Jack's memories of that fateful night had returned.

"Jackie?" Barnaby asked, searching the face of the brown bunny before him for the child who had once been his friend.

Jack nodded. "It's Jack now," he answered handing him the medallion.

"Daddy!" a voice cried out from behind them as Alice ran over and nearly knocked Jack over with a hug.

"And this is my daughter Alice," Jack continued, watching as Barnaby looked in shock at the little girl who looked so much like the boy her father had been.

"Why haven't you changed back?" Alice asked, stroking her father's ears.

"I don't know sweetheart," Jack replied with a sigh. "But I think Mister Barnaby can help with that."

Alice looked over at the other bunny. "Can you?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "Can you make my Daddy himself again?"

Barnaby looked from her to Jack and back again. The layer of ice that he had built so carefully around his heart started to melt as he watched the girl sob into her father's fur.

"Please Barnaby," Peter asked his former friend. "Please make this right."

Barnaby looked over to Mother Nature and saw her watching him. "It's never too late to make amends," she said with a smile. "Even the most wayward of souls can find their way back if they just try."

Barnaby held her gaze and glanced over to where the rest of the bunnified humans had gathered at the edge of the crowd. Making a decision, he picked up an overturned basket of jelly beans from the ground and scooped out a handful and held them up to the sunlight. Whispering the spell that had created the transforming eggs in reverse, the beans began to glow.

When he finished, he plucked one of the now golden jelly beans from the pile and held it out to Jack. "Care to give it a go Jackie boy?" he asked, hoping that it would work.

Alice released him and Jack stepped forward to take it. "Bottoms up," Jack said with a nervous grin as he popped the candy in his mouth.

For a moment nothing happened, and then suddenly, Jack rose up in the air. A swirl of golden sparks surrounded him and exploded, dropping a once again human Jack down to the ground. Jack pushed himself to his knees, staring at his hands in wonder. "I'm back!" he laughed as Alice ran over and hugged him hard.

Alice released him and ran to hug Barnaby. "Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek. Barnaby felt the last piece of ice inside slip away and sighed into her embrace. She released him and Barnaby turned to Peter.

"These should fix the rest of them," he said quietly as he handed over the rest of the candy.

"Thank you Barnaby," Peter said. "I meant what I said. I'm really sorry. Friends?" he asked holding out his other hand.

Barnaby felt himself smile for the first time in years. "Friends," he answered clasping it in his own.

"Splendid!" Sarah Jane exclaimed. "Now that that's settled, I think it's high time that we get this Easter celebration started!"

The crowd cheered and everyone scampered off to get ready.

* * *

><p>"Wakey, wakey," Jack whispered, brushing the curls from Ianto's forehead. "Hello there," he added as the elf's eyes fluttered open.<p>

Ianto blinked and looked up to find a decidedly non-furry Jack smiling down at him. "You're all better," Ianto said, reaching up to touch his now human cheek.

Jack smiled.

"I am, but you need to get your hot elf ass up and get ready," he said kissing his forehead. "The parade is about to start.

Ianto rose groggily to his feet. Jack helped him steady himself, and just as Ianto felt the ringing in his ears settle, Andy rushed in wearing a hideous green jumper covered in pink and yellow Easter eggs with a pair of fake blue bunny ears perched on his head.

"You okay Toddy?" he asked as Ianto stared at him in disbelief.

"Head's a bit dodgy, but I think it might be that jumper," Ianto replied causing Andy to grin.

"Owen told me to tell you, something," Andy replied stopping to clear his throat and scrunching his face up in his best imitation of Owen. "Get up you lazy wanker and put on your suit. You need take a pain capsule and suck it up so you can make sure I don't fall on my arse in shame when she picks twatty-tail over me."

Ianto chuckled and Jack laughed as Andy thrust a dove grey suit with a light blue shirt and silver tie towards him. "You'll have to change here," he said pointing towards the locker room alongside the back of the tent. "And make it quick, they're doing the unveiling in ten minutes!"

With that Andy grinned and ran off. Ianto watched him go with a sigh, hoping that the younger elf stayed out of trouble.

"Well at least he didn't get anything on it," he said shaking his head and eyeing his suit. "Do you think you can help me into it?" he asked Jack.

Jack leered and Ianto rolled his eyes, and promptly slumped back against him once more. "Easy there," Jack said as he helped him back up. "You know this might go a lot faster if you made yourself a bit bigger."

Ianto nodded and reached into his pocket to grab his sugarplums. Still a little woozy, he had a hard time opening the case.

"Can you hold my sugarplums for me?" Ianto asked only to stop a second later when he saw Jack's grin and realized what he had just said.

"I thought you'd never ask," Jack replied and Ianto laughed.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Owen, looking nervous and decidedly dapper in a dark grey suit, stood on a platform alongside a confident Peter Cottontail clad in a splendid suit and waistcoat of baby blue.<p>

"The time has come," Peter announced to the small crowd that had gathered to see the unveiling. "Miss Sato if you would please come forward."

The crowd parted and Tosh, wearing a fetching Easter bonnet with a lovely lavender dress made her way up the steps with Luna behind her. Tosh smiled at both Peter and Owen before addressing the gathering.

"Both of these two men have asked me to accompany them to the parade today," she said keeping her gaze focused on where Alice, Jack, and Ianto were watching from the back of the crowd. "As per bunny-ville custom, each of them created an artistic interpretation of why I should choose them to be my escort to the celebration." She turned to Luna who stood at the back of the platform. "Miss Thistledown if you please, could you removed the covering from Mister Cottontail's presentation?"

Luna pulled back the cover to reveal Peter's design and the crowd oohed and awed at the sculpture while Tosh looked surprised and circled it; taking it all in.

"I chose to depict Miss Sato as she appeared in my favorite picture of her," Peter explained proudly. Tosh glanced over to Luna out of the corner of her eye and saw her ears droop slightly as Peter went on to speak of how lovely and talented Tosh was. Taking pity on her poor assistant, she thanked Peter and turned to Owen.

"And now Doctor Harper's work if you please," she said to Luna. Luna glanced where Andy was giving Owen a thumbs up from the front row and pulled back the cover, revealing a giant chocolate kiss.

"Well," began Tosh disappointed that Owen had not made any effort after all. "It certainly is um, big."

Owen stared at her in surprise and looked back at his work. "Oh! Sorry," he said, hurrying over to open the kiss, pulling the two sides apart to reveal what was inside. Tosh stared at what he had revealed, her expression unreadable.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to show the tough side or the soft side of you," Owen hastened to explain. "This side is your lab back in Elfsburg," he explained, pointing out the little terminal he had painstakingly created and all of the tiny instruments scattered around it. "And this side is you in your downtime when you think no one is looking." The other side of the kiss housed an easel, paints, books, a piano, flowers, magazines, and a closet filled with frothy dresses. In the center of the kiss stood Tosh herself, carved out of chocolate and wearing her Team Icicle uniform. Tosh leaned in and took in all the details, realizing that Owen really did see her for who she was, not just as another teammate or simply the latest notch on his candy cane.

"Thank you gentlemen," Tosh said as she returned to the front of the platform. "Both of you have done excellent work." The crowd applauded and she turned around and smiled at first Peter, then Owen, and finally Luna. "I've come to a decision," she said and the crowd stilled, waiting to hear her choice. "While both of you have done me great honor today, only one of you saw me for who I really was." She looked down and saw Andy bouncing in place with his fingers crossed. "Peter, I appreciate all you have done for me," she said, and watched Andy's jaw drop open in disbelief. "But I have chosen Doctor Harper to be my escort to the parade."

"Hot Buttery Chestnuts!" Andy yelled, jumping in the air. "Brittle you did it!" The crowd laughed and applauded as Peter stepped forward and shook Owen's hand.

"Shall we Miss Sato?" Owen asked holding out his arm.

"I'd be delighted Doctor Harper," Tosh beamed as he escorted her off the platform and down to watch the parade.

Peter walked down the platform steps watching them go with a sigh.

"You know, now that the blinders are off, you might want to look at what's been there all along," Peter heard someone say. Turning to his left he saw Barnaby standing alongside him.

"What do you mean?" he asked dejectedly.

"I never did understand your fascination with the elf," Barnaby replied shaking his head. "If you pulled your ears out of your bum and took a look around, you might have noticed that Luna has been in love with you for years."

Peter turned to stare at him in shock. But Barnaby just nodded his head towards where Luna was looking back over her shoulder at him in concern as she walked with Doc and Donna to the parade. Peter thought over how many times she had stood by his side while he swooned over Toshiko, never saying a word while all the time she must have been ready to pull his whiskers out in frustration.

"But she never said-" he started to protest.

"She wouldn't," Barnaby interrupted him. "She swore me to secrecy when I found out. But I think it's about time you did something about it don't you?"

Peter looked back at Luna and then turned to Barnaby and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're back," he said before scampering off after her with a spring in his step.

"So am I," Barnaby whispered watching him go. "So am I."

* * *

><p>Later on after the parade, the bunnies and their guests gathered for the celebration on the village green. Toasts were made to Team Icicle, Mother Nature, King Bran, who had arrived with a contingent of leprechauns and a dozen barrels of Dunluce Castle's finest, Santa, and of course to the Cottontail Troops for making Easter a rousing success. As the day waned and darkness fell, a band began to play and the bunnies began to dance. Jack and Ianto, who had stayed human size for just this reason, danced under the star filled sky alongside family and friends. As the night wore on, Alice grew tired and Jack decided it was time they headed home.<p>

Santa had agreed to take them and come back for Donna and the rest of Team Icicle in the morning.

As Jack loaded Alice into his sleigh, and Santa chatted with Bran and Sarah Jane, Ianto said goodbye to his team, and made sure that they would at least try to behave until he got back.

"No problem," Doc had answered with a manic grin, causing Ianto to worry. "Andy and I are going on in a few anyway." Ianto's brows furrowed in confusion and Andy and Doc exchanged a grin, pulling off their jumper and suit coat to reveal the shirts each of them were wearing, bearing the words "**NOG**" and "**CAKE**" in giant black letters.

"And now the vocal stylings of **NOGCAKE**!" called out the MC back at the grandstand.

"That's our cue," Doc said with a wink.

"See ya Jack!" Andy called out and the two of them ran off.

A few minutes later the sound of Doc and Andy belting out _Rapper's Delight_ _(A/N: if you have ever seen the Wedding Singer, it's the song the old lady sings at the reception.)_ could be heard and the younger bunnies cheered at the change in song.

"We'll make sure they get off as soon as they're done," Donna said shaking her head.

"Not to worry," Owen added. "Tosh and I have it all under control." He brought Tosh's hand to his lips and kissed it, causing Ianto to smile at his friends' happiness. "Take all the time you need. We'll make sure they don't burn the place down."

Ianto nodded and the three of them left to head back to the party. Ianto watched them go, happy that Owen had finally managed to get Tosh to give him a chance.

"Elves rapping. That's nah something ye see every day," King Bran chuckled, joining him. "Keep an eye on your lassie boyo," he told Jack as he shook his hand. "'Tis rare for a girl her age to befriend the likes of us."

"I will," Jack replied with a grin.

"I'll expect you know to keep this all a secret from your human friends," Mother Nature told him with a raised eyebrow.

"They would never believe me that Mother Nature was so beautiful anyway," Jack replied, kissing her hand.

"Oh of all the cheek," she replied shaking her head as he winked and hopped up to sit beside Santa.

Ianto said his goodbyes to Bran. "He's alright, that Captain of yours," he said. "Trust in where the magic takes you lad," he added with a wink, causing Ianto to wonder what the crafty elf was up to now. Before he could ask, Santa jingled the reins and Mother Nature pulled him into her warm embrace.

"Sometimes for all its size, the universe isn't such a big place after all," she whispered as she held him close. "There's a place in it for everyone and for every kind of love," she added as she released him. "Take care Mister Jones, I will be seeing you again."

Ianto smiled and climbed up into the sleigh. Santa snapped the reins and with a gentle hop and a swirl of magic the reindeer climbed into the star-filled sky.

"You and Kris have been conspiring haven't you," Sarah Jane observed as they waved.

"Just a bit of a push is all," Bran replied with a grin. "But if you must know, it's little Alice that set it in motion."

Sarah Jane let out a happy sigh as the sleigh disappeared from sight. "Well they do say that love does broaden the mind," she said with a grin. "And if you boys are willing to let this old girl play as well, I might have an idea to help young Alice's wish take flight."

The two immortals shared a grin and walked back to the celebration, talking in hushed tones of wishes and dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p><em>May 1<em>_st_

_Seren Glen_

May Day dawned clear and warm, with nary a cloud in the sky. Jack Harkness stepped out on the front porch to get his paper with a spring in his step and a song in his heart. He and Ianto had spent the rest of Easter and the following day together before Santa and Team Icicle had collected him that evening. After one last kiss the two had reluctantly parted, somehow knowing they would see each other again soon. Just before the sleigh took flight, Santa had tossed a small pouch down to Jack and told him to hold onto it 'just in case.' When Jack had opened it later on, he'd found a set of comms. inside, one for him and one for Alice, and a small hand mirror with a tag attached that simply read:

_For when you miss him, but keep it between us - Santa_

Jack had discovered what his cryptic words meant the following day, when he happened to say Ianto's name while holding it. The mirror's reflection had rippled and stilled to show Ianto back in Elfsburg, staring longingly into a snowglobe housing a small village that looked a lot like Seren Glen. Jack had found himself watching over Ianto in his spare moments, marveling at the wonders that made up his home at the North Pole. Smiling to himself, he settled down on the front porch swing and sipped his morning coffee in the early morning sunshine, closing his eyes and listening to the birds singing the world awake as the last of the late spring snow finally melted away.

His reverie was interrupted when he heard someone nearby clearing their throat.

Jack's eyes flew open and he saw Mother Nature's personal assistant, Mister Smith, standing before him clutching a rather large bouquet of flowers.

"Good morning," Mister Smith greeted him. "My mistress has asked that I present Miss Alice with this bouquet and deliver this invitation to you with her regards."

Jack quickly set down his coffee and stood up to receive the flowers and the invitation. Jack looked at the envelope and saw his name written upon it in embossed silver script.

"Did she say what-" Jack started to ask once he had read the front of the card. But Mister Smith was gone.

Opening the envelope, the scent of fresh cut grass and rose petals tickled his nose.

_Captain Jack Harkness _

_Is Cordially Invited to_

_A Celebration of the Summer Solstice_

_June 21__st__ 2011_

_Grove of the Ancients – Land of Mist and Time_

Jack read it over several times, trying to make sense of what he had read.

"Land of Mist and Time?" he asked scratching his head. Suddenly inspiration struck and he pulled out the mirror.

"Ianto," he whispered, watching as the reflection shifted to show Ianto opening his own invitation, and Jack grinned.

* * *

><p><em>The Holiday Assurance Elves are taking a little break until Halloween. But Jack and Ianto will have a short adventure on the Summer Solstice. <em>

_Thanks for reading!_


End file.
